Key #32: Hospitality, Part II - From Heart To Heart

For most people, medieval tourism was limited to visiting the church, followed by seeking some entertainment on and around the Market Square. Traveling to a neighbouring town was about as common as sailing across the ocean. Marco Polo and such did exist but they were an extremely rare exception… Fast forward a millennium or so, and crossing an(y) ocean has become about as common as traveling to a neighbouring village. Having breakfast in Asia, dining in North America and finishing the (rather long) day in a posh European restaurant is not just a figure of speech but a part of, at least, some V.I.Ps' reality, while the main limitation for the so-called “middle class” is having to stick to one continent at a time. Time, combined with modern technology, has ultimately put physical distance to shame and rendered it almost insignificant. Psychological distance between different peoples is gradually being subjected to the same fate, the driving force behind the process being individuals' good will rather than technology.

In theory, tourism stirs curiosity, then promotes understanding. In reality, the road has been much bumpier than one might imagine. The industry built around tourism had for decades been formal, cumbersome and mostly inefficient. Treating tourists as “customers” would inevitably result in big groups herded by one guide, and rushed around in big buses trying to cover a historical city in several hours. As a London tour guide once put it: “Our city is full of history. It takes about 200 years to really get to know it”. A mischievous smile, and “…but if you try hard and give it your absolute best, you might be able to manage in 150 years!”. It's hardly surprising that any attempt to squeeze 200 years into half-a-day would result in a spectacular flop. Changes were inevitable, even if slow to come. A revolutionary “hop-on-hop-off” idea brought guests and cities closer to each other, as the former suddenly had much more time to familiarize themselves with the latter. Walking tours came next, and that was a real breakthrough because a much smaller group allowed for more personal and authentic communication between the guide and hir charges. Once the emphasis shifted towards personalization, tourism as a social phenomenon began to redefine itself. However, the most seismic change was still years ahead, and it's likely to have started as “subsistence tourism”.

When state economy struggles in times of crisis, people's economy would often take over. If food or clothing become unavailable, people might start growing or making their own. Likewise, when travelers felt they couldn't afford hotel rates - and hostels didn't look like an appealing alternative - they started providing accommodation for each other, and that's how CouchSurfing was born. The main difference between it and more traditional forms of hosting was that hosts would share their space with their guests rather than just rent it out. Sharing space eventually meant sharing stories… Bed&Breakfast that had for decades been a fewer-stars kind of hotels, began to follow suit. Human connections were established, some travelers would stay in touch with their former hosts long after returning home. People's diplomacy born out of people's economy kicked into high gear. The logical pinnacle of that development was volunteers welcoming their country's guests and enhancing their experiences alongside (sometimes even instead of) professionals through and through. Once that pinnacle was reached, multiple win-win situations ensued. Some of them occurred spontaneously, others were facilitated by newly created organizations like Walk Buddy/Pal or Student Guide. Haruka on the above picture belongs to the latter, and she is one of many Japanese students who meet travelers and help to foster their fascination with Nara. Meanwhile, the students are brushing up on their own linguistic skills and familiarizing themselves with their guests' countries and cultures.

Many attractions in Japan are blessed with such volunteers:  Fukagawa-Edo museum

Osaka Castle

the A-Dome in Hiroshima

They spend 10-15 hours a week telling visitors about their chosen attraction, sharing cultural facts and personal memories, the two blending perfectly into each other. Some of them struggle with foreign languages but they are all highly proficient at the language of the heart - and that's what one remembers upon coming back home from a foreign country…